I was more than a little surprised when an assistant at the Apple store directed me to this way less expensive (<$9) screen protector at Amazon over their $50 alternative. This isn't one of those cheap plastic covers, but real glass. You just clean and dry your iPhone screen, peel off the cover on the back of the glass, align the glass on your screen, and lay it in place. A little tap of the finger in the middle of the glass and it appears to melt into your phone. I had a couple of little spots where it initially didn't completely bond, but by the next day they were gone. This link includes some videos to explain it better than I can. Make sure you buy the version specific to your model phone.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H2V5YLH
When a real-life plumber brings a wet/dry vacuum into your home, you obviously want to check out what they use. To my surprise, this Bucket Head powerhead, which attaches to the top of an inexpensive, five-gallon Home Depot bucket, was equally inexpensive at $30. That's way cheaper than the one I just bought and will be my next one. The plumber's other rule was to have one for dry pickups and one for wet pickups, not try to switch back and forth. Another suggestion I plan to follow.
Yet another example of me doing things wrong for my whole life was recently brought to my attention. I have always stored my knives, those that go in the vertical slots, with the sharp edge on the bottom, not ever thinking as I slid the knives into place that I was dragging them against the wood. Guess what that does? Yep, dulls them. Duh! They are now sharp-side up. A few more tips are listed at the link below.
Big shout out to Deborah K. for this sharp tip!
https://www.cnet.com/home/smart-home/how-to-store-your-knives-the-right-way
Our B&B room in Saint Augustine, Florida came with a Cooluli tabletop mini-fridge. It was perfect for keeping a few bottles of water chilled without a large footprint. The Classic series, shown below, comes in three different sizes (4, 10, and 15 liters), and there are a number of other models, none cooler (pun intended) than the two retro Coca-Cola versions, which you can see at the link below.
https://cooluli.com/collections/all-products/coca-cola-series
Last Saturday was a beautiful day to visit the Market Square area in downtown Pittsburgh (or "dahntahn" in Pittsburghese). Busy day with the Pitt Panthers taking on Wake Forest for the ACC football title, followed Sunday with a home game for the Steelers against their rival, the Baltimore Ravens (or the dirty birds as I like to call them). The skaters were out in force, circling the monstrous Christmas tree seen below. Not shown are all the people, like me, that hold on to the railing and drag themselves around the rink.
https://www.marketsquarepgh.com
Our lodging at a recent stay in downtown St. Augustine, Florida was "At Journey's End", an adorable, and reasonably priced, B&B a few blocks walk to all the area has to offer. The owners, Mike and Robin, were very helpful in getting us settled in and offering advice on new restaurants and activities. The breakfasts, or brunches as Robin likes better, were over-the-top delicious. A parking space was available in the back, a welcome amenity in a parking-constrained area.
